The City of Saskatoon is looking at new ways to try to encourage development on three parcels of land near St. Mary's Wellness and Education Centre, seen in this February 2014 photo.Greg Pender / The StarPhoenix

The City of Saskatoon is considering new ways to develop three vacant lots in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.

City council’s finance committee considered a report Monday that detailed efforts by the city to sell and develop the lots as part of the Pleasant Hill Village plan. The plan was intended to attract homeowners to the area around St. Mary’s Wellness and Education Centre, which opened in 2012.

The report suggests “alternative development models” be considered after the city issued a call for proposals to develop the plots of land and then tried to sell them on the open market. The committee endorse the strategy.

“I and everyone else in the area are excited to see renewed efforts to move this (plan) along,” Ward 2 Coun. Hilary Gough said at Monday’s meeting.

The Pleasant Hill Village Project concept plan was adopted by city council more than a decade ago. The plan targets a trapezoidal area in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood bordered by 20th Street West, Avenue P South, Avenue N South and the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks.

The plan was intended to redevelop six parcels of land in the village project area to try to encourage affordable home ownership.

Half of the parcels were developed. Thirty-six ground units were developed on two parcels and one parcel was sold to the Knights of Columbus, which built a 75-unit seniors rental apartment building.

The city received an offer to develop the remaining three parcels in 2015, but the party withdrew the proposal in 2016, citing an uncertain housing market, the report says.

The city then tried to sell the three lots with conditions on the open market last year, but received no development proposals.

The city has received three letters expressing interest in developing the three parcels from three non-profit groups who would need funding to pursue the purchase and development of the land.

The three letters came from Quint Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity Saskatoon and the Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI).

The city could offer a grant of up to 10 per cent, the report explains, but that would need to be phased in for a project that involves all three parcels. The development could also receive funding from the federal government’s national housing strategy, which starts accepting applications in April, the report adds.

The letters from Quint and Habitat outline affordable housing units aimed at ownership, while CUMFI proposes a mix of affordable home ownership and rental units. Some of the rental units would be aimed at seniors.

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